Week 15 NFL Maps: No Bucs in Boston; 5-8 vs 4-9 gets major coverage

[jmt57]

With the college regular season over, the NFL is now able to have games on Saturdays. That brings this week's total of nationwide broadcasts up to five.

NATIONAL BROADCASTS

• Thursday Night: LA Chargers @ Las Vegas (FOX/NFLN)
• Saturday 4:30 ET: Buffalo @ Denver (NFLN) (Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth)
• Saturday 8:15 ET: Carolina @ Green Bay (NFLN) (Mike Tirico, Kurt Warner)
• Sunday Night: Cleveland @ NY Giants (NBC)
• Monday Night: Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati (ESPN)

A couple weeks ago the league flexed the San Francisco - Dallas game out of the Sunday night spotlight. The Cowboys had looked pathetic on national television one too many times and the NFL wanted to avoid showcasing yet another embarrassing performance. CBS got the Niners-Cowboys in exchange for the Browns-Giants game. Despite the combined record of 9-17, that game will be beamed into the majority of neutral markets rather than one of the four other options that includes a team with a winning record.

WFXT-25 in Boston will not broadcast the Bucs game on Sunday, opting not to go head-to-head with the Pats game on CBS. I thought that was a bit surprising considering the Pats are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, figuring many in the area would tune in to see Brady and Gronk. All the other Fox affiliates in New England will broadcast Tampa Bay at Atlanta.

As for the Pats-Dolphins, it did manage to get some neutral market distribution. That game will air in New York (of interest to Buffalo fans) and through much of the southeast. Ian Eagle and Charles 'anybody is better than Dan Fouts' Davis will be the announcers.

CBS Early

? New England @ Miami; Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
? San Francisco @ Dallas; Kevin Harlan, Trent Green
? Houston @ Indianapolis; Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon
? Jacksonville @ Baltimore; Andrew Catalon, James Lofton
? Detroit @ Tennessee; Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

The late game on CBS is the best matchup of the week: Kansas City at New Orleans. That will be broadcast everywhere except in Arizona, due to the NFL's archaic rule of no other game on television when the local team is playing at home at the same time.

Fox Single

Early:
? Tampa Bay @ Atlanta; Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston
? Seattle @ Washington; Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
? Chicago @ Minnesota; Chris Myers, Greg Jennings
Late:
? NY Jets @ LA Rams (LATE)Kevin Kugler, Brock Huard
? Philadelphia @ Arizona (LATE)Brandon Gaudin, Aqib Talib

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Down heah south of Tamper we get both the Bucs (DUH!) AND the Pats game on TV at 1PM.
At least the Rona won't get me this Sunday at a sports bar watching the Pats.
Wife has abandoned our guys to watch TFB. Thought she was a Keepah but now re-evaluating the half century relationship.

 

[Ring 6]

With the college regular season over, the NFL is now able to have games on Saturdays. That brings this week's total of nationwide broadcasts up to five.

NATIONAL BROADCASTS

• Thursday Night: LA Chargers @ Las Vegas (FOX/NFLN)
• Saturday 4:30 ET: Buffalo @ Denver (NFLN) (Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth)
• Saturday 8:15 ET: Carolina @ Green Bay (NFLN) (Mike Tirico, Kurt Warner)
• Sunday Night: Cleveland @ NY Giants (NBC)
• Monday Night: Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati (ESPN)

A couple weeks ago the league flexed the San Francisco - Dallas game out of the Sunday night spotlight. The Cowboys had looked pathetic on national television one too many times and the NFL wanted to avoid showcasing yet another embarrassing performance. CBS got the Niners-Cowboys in exchange for the Browns-Giants game. Despite the combined record of 9-17, that game will be beamed into the majority of neutral markets rather than one of the four other options that includes a team with a winning record.

WFXT-25 in Boston will not broadcast the Bucs game on Sunday, opting not to go head-to-head with the Pats game on CBS. I thought that was a bit surprising considering the Pats are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, figuring many in the area would tune in to see Brady and Gronk. All the other Fox affiliates in New England will broadcast Tampa Bay at Atlanta.

As for the Pats-Dolphins, it did manage to get some neutral market distribution. That game will air in New York (of interest to Buffalo fans) and through much of the southeast. Ian Eagle and Charles 'anybody is better than Dan Fouts' Davis will be the announcers.

CBS Early

? New England @ Miami; Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
? San Francisco @ Dallas; Kevin Harlan, Trent Green
? Houston @ Indianapolis; Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon
? Jacksonville @ Baltimore; Andrew Catalon, James Lofton
? Detroit @ Tennessee; Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

The late game on CBS is the best matchup of the week: Kansas City at New Orleans. That will be broadcast everywhere except in Arizona, due to the NFL's archaic rule of no other game on television when the local team is playing at home at the same time.

Fox Single

Early:
? Tampa Bay @ Atlanta; Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston
? Seattle @ Washington; Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
? Chicago @ Minnesota; Chris Myers, Greg Jennings
Late:
? NY Jets @ LA Rams (LATE)Kevin Kugler, Brock Huard
? Philadelphia @ Arizona (LATE)Brandon Gaudin, Aqib Talib

I don’t think they are allowed to put a game up against the local team game.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

I don’t think they are allowed to put a game up against the local team game.

Uh, precisely what's happening here in Bucs country. See post before yours.

 

[Ring 6]

Uh, precisely what's happening here in Bucs country. See post before yours.

Ok.

 

[jmt57]

I don’t think they are allowed to put a game up against the local team game.

When they are playing at home, yes. That is why sometimes there only only two Sunday afternoon games rather than three. But in this case that doesn't apply since the game is in South Florida.

The NFL has a rule for when the team is playing at home and the game is on tv; then there can be no other game on tv at the same time. That is why Arizona won't get the Chiefs-Saints, or why Miami, Nashville and Indianapolis all get a seemingly random obscure game (Philly at Arizona). The NFL put the rule in place years ago in an attempt to limit the number of no-shows at the home stadium. Getting the price of a ticket wasn't enough for NFL owners; it was an attempt to also either force fans to attend (and spend more money), or go to a bar to watch (which helped DirecTV sell Sunday Ticket to those establishments).


If the local team is on the road then a station can go head-to-head with another game at the same time that the local team plays. In PWP's example CBS has the doubleheader, so the Tampa CBS station will broadcast the Dolphins-Pats while the Bucs are on at the same time in that area on Fox. If CBS was only getting one game that week they could still do that since Tampa Bay was not at home - but usually they go for a game in a different time slot. The Boston viewing area is in a unique situation with TB12 and Gronk on the Bucs this year. This may be the first time all season the Bucs have not been on in Boston - even though the Pats season is effectively over.

 

[captain stone]

Off to Arooga's again...NFW I'm staying home to watch the Murderer-Worshippers b!tch-slap the Jags...

 

[Patjew]

The Fox single game is weird... I don’t recall a Game where Mass has a different game than RI. Usually it’s those ****s in CT that get a different game. Or maybe Im reading it wrong.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

We get The Football Team.

Hail to The Football Team.

 

[Scotty]

Our games are

Seahawks v Washington
Chiefs v Saints
Browns v Giants

 

[Patriot_fan989]

Are there any other non-locals here? I'm from Ratbird territory. 506sports maps are the shi t

 

[PATSNUTme]

Looks like we get to see Brady up here in Maine during the commercials of the Patriots game. Like PWP, my wife has more interest in TFB games than the Patriots tis year. Another fair weather fan.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Woo hoo, we get the pats game in NC and Seahawks v football team.

 

[PP2]

delete

 

[denverpatsfan]

XM radio yet again this season.

 

[captain stone]

Are there any other non-locals here? I'm from Ratbird territory. 506sports maps are the shi t

Hershey PA...also Ratbird territory...and Squealers territory...But aside from being close enough to smell the foul stench from both places, I'm still happy I no longer live in the Peoples' Republic of Taxachusetts...

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Hershey PA...also Ratbird territory...and Squealers territory...But aside from being close enough to smell the foul stench from both places, I'm still happy I no longer live in the Peoples' Republic of Taxachusetts...

Let’s not forget that chocolate aroma....

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

Are there any other non-locals here? I'm from Ratbird territory. 506sports maps are the shi t

Live in North Carolina now, but grew up a baltimoron, before moving away to new hampshire, then south. Do you still live in proximity to Camden yards?

 

[captain stone]

Let’s not forget that chocolate aroma....

Yep...Before we moved to another part of town, and while the original factory was still operating, we always could smell the chocolate whenever the wind would blow from the north...You can however still smell the peanut butter from the Reese's factory as you drive past it with the windows down...

 

[Patriot_fan989]

Hershey PA...also Ratbird territory...and Squealers territory...But aside from being close enough to smell the foul stench from both places, I'm still happy I no longer live in the Peoples' Republic of Taxachusetts...

There's a lot I don't like about PA and MD, but it's not all bad. I love visiting family in Western/Northern PA.

You can however still smell the peanut butter from the Reese's factory as you drive past it with the windows down...

Sucks for anyone with peanut allergies...they tend to hate the smell too.

Live in North Carolina now, but grew up a baltimoron, before moving away to new hampshire, then south. Do you still live in proximity to Camden yards?

Baltimoron lol, haven't heard that one before. I usually call them the Raisins or Ratbirds. I'm near BWI, so Camden is just a quick light rail away